Locket having wire element furnishing a hinge and catch member

ABSTRACT

A LOCKET HAVING A NOVEL HINGE CONSTRUCTION. THE LOCKET COMPRISES A FRONT CASE HAVING A PERIPHERAL FLANGE FORMED WITH A NOTCH, A FRONT CASE FIELD PIECE FITTED THEREIN, HAVING A TONGUE RECEIVED IN THE NOTCH AND A FEMALE CATCH OPENING, A BACK CASE HAVING A PERIPHERAL FLANGE FORMED WITH A NOTCH THROUGH WHICH THE TONGUE ALSO EXTENDS, A RECESS THAT CONSTITUTES A RING ANCHORAGE, A HINGE WIRE FORMED AS A SEGMENT OF A CIRCLE GREATER THAN 180* FITTED IN THE BACK CASE, WITH AN OFFSET PORTION THEREOF LOCATED WHERE THE NOTCHES MEET, AN OUTTURNED END PORTION CONSTITUTING A MALE CATCH, AND A BACK CASE FIELD PIECE PRESS FITTED IN THE BACK CASE TO SECURE THE HINGE WIRE. THE BACK PIECE HAS A NOTCH IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE NOTCH IN THE BACK CASE AND A SLOT WHICH ACCOMMODATES THE MALE CATCH. WHEN THE FRONT AND BACK CASES, WITH THE FIELD PIECES THEREIN, ARE ARREMBLED, THE TONGUE IS BENT OVER THE OFFSET PORTION OF THE HINGE WIRE. A RING HAVING OPPOSED SHOULDERS IS ANCHORED TO THE BACK CASE BY POSITIONING THE SHOULDERS BETWEEN THE PERIPHERAL FLANGE OF THE BACK CASE AND THE BACK CASE FIELD PIECE, PROJECTING THROUGH THE RECESS IN THE PERIPHERAL FLANGE. IN A MODIFICATION THE RING IS FORMED AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HINGE WIRE.

NOV. 9, 1971 SAUER I 3,618,338

LOCKET HAVING WIRE ELEMENT FURNISHING A HINGE AND CATCH MEMBER Filed 001;. 19, 1970 INVENTOR F I G. 5 v ALFRED EUGENE SAUER flaws M Zm ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,618,338 LOCKET HAVING WIRE ELEMENT FURNISHING A HINGE AND CATCH MEMBER Alfred Eugene Sauer, Warwick, R.I. assignor to B. A. Ballou & Co., Incorporated, East Providence, RI. Filed Oct. 19, 1970, Ser. No. 81,641 Int. Cl. A44c 15/00 US. C]. 6319 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A locket having a novel hinge construction. The locket comprises a front case having a peripheral flange formed with a notch, a front case field piece fitted therein, having a tongue received in the notch and a female catch opening, a back case having a peripheral flange formed with a notch through which the tongue also extends, a recess that constitutes a ring anchorage, a hinge wire formed as a segment of a circle greater than 180 fitted in the back case, with an offset portion thereof located where the notches meet, an outturned end portion constituting a male catch, and a back case field piece press fitted 'in the back case to secure the hinge Wire. The back piece has a notch in alignment with the notch in the back case and a slot which accommodates the male catch. When the front and back cases, with the field pieces therein, are assembled, the tongue is bent over the offset portion of the hinge wire. A ring having opposed shoulders is anchored to the back case by positioning the shoulders between the peripheral flange of the back case and the back case field piece, projecting through the recess in the peripheral flange. In a modification the ring is formed as an integral part of the hinge wire.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION At the present time a conventional locket, such as included in womens jewelry is a small and fragile article. From its nature it includes a front case and a back case which are hingedly connected. The hinge constructions now available are fragile and with repeated opening and closing of the cases becomes distorted and inoperable.

It is now conventional practice to provide a locket of the type with which the present invention is concerned with a ring that projects therefrom and which is used to attach the locket to some other article of jewelry such as a chain. The known constructions which incorporate such a ring into a locket are either fragile or complex.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing conditions in mind, the present invention has in view the following objects:

(1) To provide a locket comprising front and back cases which are connected by a sturdy hinge construction.

(2) To provide, in a locket of the character aforesaid, a hinge comprising a hinge wire about which a tongue on one of the cases is bent to form the hinge.

(3) To provide, in a locket of the type noted, a front case and a front field piece which is formed with a tongue and which is assembled with the front case.

(4) To provide, in a locket of the kind described, a back case, a back case field piece press fitted therein, and a hinge wire secured in position in the back case by the back case field piece and having an offset portion about which the tongue n the front case field piece is bent to form the hinge connecting the two cases.

To provide, in a locket of the character noted, a new and improved arrangement for incorporating a projecting ring into the locket structure.

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Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention such as arise in connection with carrying out the above noted ideas in a practical embodiment will in part become. apparent and in part be hereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing objects are achieved by providing a locket comprising: a front case, a front case field piece, a back case, a hinge wire, a back case field piece press fitted in the back case and securing the wire therein, a tongue on the front case field piece bent over the wire to form a hinge, and a projecting ring secured to the back case.

The front case has a peripheral flange formed with a notch. The front case field piece has an outturned peripheral flange from which extends a tongue received in the notch. It is also formed with a female catch slot. The back case includes a peripheral flange having a notch which aligns with the notch in the front case. field piece and a recess. The hinge wire is formed as a segment of a circle greater than 180 and has an offset portion positioned at the aligned notches and an outturned end portion constituting a male catch. The back case field piece is press fitted in the back case over the hinge. wire to achieve the assembled relation. It has a notch which aligns with the other notches and a slot which accommodates the male catch.

The projecting ring may be formed as a part of the hinge wire or as a separate element having shoulders received between the back case and back case field piece. In either instance, it is accommodated by the recess in the flange of the back case.

For a full and more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a locket embodying the precepts of this invention and depicted in closed position.

FIG. 2 is an elevtaion of the locket of FIG. 1 in opened position.

FIG. 3 is a section through the locket in opened position being taken on the plane of the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective illustrating the components of the locket in exploded relation.

FIG. 5 is a perspective of the hinge wire included in a modification.

Referring now to the drawing, a locket is illustrated in FIG. 1 and identified in its entirety as L. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, locket L comprises a front assembly referred to generally as F and a back assembly B.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 4, front assembly F comprises a front case 10 and a front case field piece 11. Front case 10 includes a peripheral wall or flange 12 formed with a notch 13. Front case field piece 11 has an outturned peripheral flange 14 from which extends a tongue 15 which is received in recess 13 when field piece 11 is assembled in case 10. Flange 14 is also formed with a slot 16 which is diametrically opposite to tongue 15 and which constitutes a female catch.

Back assembly B includes back case 17 having a peripheral wall or flange 18 formed with a notch 19 and a recess 20 angularly spaced from notch 19, preferably at an angle of It also includes a hinge wire 21 hav ing an offset portion 22 and an outturned end portion 2 3 which functions as a male catch. Hinge wire 21 is formed as a segment of a circle greater than and catch 23 is substantially diametrically opposite to offset portion 22. When back assembly B is assembled, hinge wire 21 is snugly fitted within wall 18 with offset portion 22 being positioned at notch 19.

Also included in back assembly B is a back case field piece 24. The latter has an outturned flange 25 formed with a notch 26 which aligns with notch 19 when field piece 24 is assembled in case 17 as it is with a pressed fit. It is also formed with a slot 27 which receives end portion 23 of wire 21.

With field piece 11 assembled in front case in which position tongue is received in notch 13 and extends beyond flange 12 and wire 21 and field piece 24 assembled with back case 17 assemblies F and B are brought together with tongue 15 extending through aligned notches 19 and 26 and beneath offset portion 22 of wire 21. Tongue 15 is then bent over into the position depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 to form. the hinge which connects the two assemblies F and B. In this position male catch 27 is adapted to cooperate with female catch slot 16 to detachably secure the two assemblies in the closed position of FIG. 1.

A projecting ring is shown at 28. It is ordinarily provided to attach locket L to some other jewelry article such as a chain. In the species of FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive, it is provided as an independent element and has shoulders 2 9 which are received between flange "18 and back field piece 24. Its position is accommodated by recess 20.

In a modified form of the invention, this projecting ring is formed integrally with the hinge wire. Referring to FIG. 5, hinge wire 30 is of an arcuate extent greater than that of hinge wire 21. It is formed with the same offset portion 22 and outturned end portion 23 as wire 21 but is also formed with loop 31 which is projected beyond recess and functions the same as ring 28.

While preferred specific embodiments of the invention are hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions, mechanisms, and devices illustrated and described because various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice.

What is claimed is:

1. In a locket constituting an article of jewelry (a) a front case having a peripheral wall formed with a notch,

(b) a front case field piece fitted in said front case and having an outturned flange formed with a tongue received in said notch and which tongue extends beyond the peripheral wall of said front case, said flange also being formed with a slot diametrically opposite to said tongue and constituting a female catch,

(c) a back case having a peripheral wall formed with a notch and a recess angularly spaced from said back case notch,

(d) a hinge wire formed as a segment of a circle greater than fitted within the wall of said back case and having an offset portion at said notch in the wall of the back case and an outturned end portion substantially diametrically opposed to said offset portion,

(e) a back Case field piece press fitted in said back case and retaining the hinge wire assembled therein, said back case field piece having an outturned flange formed with a notch in alignment with the notch in the wall of said back case and a slot substantially diametrically opposite to said back case field piece notch and which slot receives the outturned end portion of said hinge wire,

(f) a ring projecting from the back case and constituting means for attaching the locket to another article, said tongue passing through the aligned notches in the wall of the back case and the flange of the back case field piece and beneath the offset portion of the hinge wire and bent over the offset portion to cooperate therewith in providing a hinge connecting said front and back cases.

2. The locket of claim 1 in which the ring is provided as an independent element which is accommodated by the recess in the wall of the back case and has shoulders received between the wall of the back case and the back case field piece.

3. The locket of claim 1 in which said ring is formed as an integral part of said hinge wire and is accommodated by the recess in said back case.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 206,012 7/1878 Granbery 6319 354,144 12/1886 Inman 6319 838,122 12/1906 Kruse 220-3l R 882,094 3/1908 Boyd 220-31 R X 1,075,529 10/1913 Willemin 63l9 1,749,565 3/1930 Coryell 22031 R X F. BARRY SHAY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 220--31 R 

